Wegmans

We moved a lot when I was growing up. Once upon a time, I lived in West Hartford, CT. When I was in 8th grade, my father received a job offer near Rochester, NY. We moved to a small suburb called Pittsford and lived there for three and a half years before my father received another job offer and we relocated again, this time to Stamford, CT.

I experienced many highs and lows during those years in Pittsford. Being the new kid in 9th grade was hard, and at first, I spent a lot of time by myself. As things always go with moving, however, I eventually found my group of friends, got involved in the school, and settled into life in upstate New York. My constant companion during this time was baking.

West Hartford was where I fell in love with baking, and Pittsford is where I fell in love with experimenting. As any cook or baker knows, you need to have the best ingredients if you want to make something memorable, and this is where Wegmans entered my life.

My first introduction to Wegmans happened one cold, gray snowy weekend in 1983. We were visiting the area to figure out where we were going to move, and ended up taking a ‘field trip’ to visit a cool grocery store called Wegmans. It was one of the biggest selling points that made me excited about moving to Pittsford.

Even back then, Wegmans had everything.

e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

Barrels of dried fruits, nuts, cookies and snacks. Rows of spices. Tables overflowing with fruits and vegetables. Piles of chocolate. A bakery with the best apple doughnut fritters. It was my nirvana. When I turned 16 and got my license, I often would drive to the Pittsford Plaza on Monroe Ave, just to stroll through store, daydreaming aisle by aisle. Wegmans contained everything that made me happy under one very large roof. Some of my most happy moments from Pittsford are connected to that store on Monroe Ave and the baking sessions that happened after each trip.

Life never took me back to Pittsford, nor did my path cross with Wegmans for a very long time.

You can imagine how excited I was to hear the news, years later, that Wegmans was expanding into Massachusetts. I literally could not believe it. I remember standing in the middle of my bakery and thinking back to Wegmans and how much I loved the store. It was at this moment that I first thought to myself how incredible it would be if I could have the opportunity to sell my products in one of their stores. One by one, new Wegmans popped up in Massachusetts. Headlines in the food and business industries touted that Wegmans is not only an incredible place to shop, but an amazing place to work. My dream of being able to have the opportunity to sell our products in Wegmans only got stronger with the announcement of each new store opening.

I mentioned this to my Sales Director, who listened, researched, got busy and never quit. Her hard work paid off and made it possible for me to make this announcement.

It’s actually happening, and I still cannot quite believe it. As of this afternoon, the four Wegmans in Massachusetts will be offering our Whoopie Pies, biscotti and doughnut muffins. For anyone who has yet to visit a Wegmans, you HAVE TO GO. Set aside a chunk of time because you truly will not believe what lies behind those doors. The Massachusetts stores are in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Westwood and Northborough.

I am so appreciative of this opportunity, professionally and personally. It’s such an honor to be able to partner with Wegmans as a local supplier, and hope that having our products available in these four stores makes shopping for Bisousweet a bit easier. On a personal level, it feels like the universe has given me a small gift by allowing me to look back on those tricky teenage years in a new light. I can now see that although I may have felt lost at times, I was always heading in the right direction.

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You know that friend who has it all together? Yeah. That’s not me. What I can offer you instead are my experiences, insights, and passions. Pithy observations about making cookies. Wry commentary on running a business. Loving (if slightly sarcastic) parenting advice. And if that doesn’t interest you, I have dogs. Cute ones.